Apparatus, system and method for providing a vacuum ejector for an end effector

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system and method for providing a vacuum ejector for an end effector. Embodiments may include at least an end effector and a vacuum chamber for gripping an element during semiconductor processing. The end effector may include at least two clamp arms for placing a gripped element; a vacuum cup having a mouth capable of sealing to the gripped element to provide a vacuum chamber to the gripped element; a vacuum ejector pin extending into the vacuum chamber and including a plurality of ports substantially at a tip thereof proximate to the gripped element, wherein the vacuum is applied by the plurality of ports; and an ejector pin actuator that is capable of moving the vacuum ejector pin toward the gripped element through the vacuum chamber in the y-axis until the sealing of the mouth is broken and the gripped element is ejected.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to the transfer of articles and, moreparticularly, relates to a vacuum ejector, such as may be used inassociation with an end effector for use in semiconductor processing.

Description of the Background

The use of robotics is well established as a manufacturing expedient,particularly in applications where human materials handling isinefficient and/or undesirable. One such circumstance is in thesemiconductor arts, in which robotics are used to handle elements duringvarious processing steps. Such process steps may include, by way ofexample, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), etching, deposition,passivation, and various other processes in which a sealed and/or“clean” environment is typically maintained, such as to limit thelikelihood of contamination and meet various specific processingconditions.

Such element handling may include using an end effector operablyattached to robotic mechanism, such as to load semiconductor elementsfor the aforementioned exemplary process steps. That is, robotics may beemployed to deploy one or more end effectors to retrieve elements forprocessing from a particular port or stack, such as before and/or afterprocessing in an associated process chamber. The elements may thus beshuttled by the robotics using end effector(s) for processing. Whenprocessing stages are complete, the robotics may also be used to shuttleelements using end effector(s), such as to return processed elements toa loading port for further processing by the system.

Typical end effectors hold elements for processing using suctionprovided by, for example, vacuum draw(s). This vacuum draw may besingular or multiple in number. However, association of an element witha vacuum draw, and particularly disassociation of the element with avacuum draw, is inefficient or ineffective. It goes without saying thatsuch inefficiencies or ineffectiveness may damage the element beingsubjected to semiconductor processes, and/or may cause the exposure ofthe element to the semiconductor processes to be inadequate to developthe element.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments are and include at least an apparatus, systemand method for providing a vacuum ejector for use with an end effector.The apparatus, system and method may include at least an end effectorand a vacuum chamber for gripping an element during semiconductorprocessing. The end effector may include at least two clamp arms forplacing a gripped element in relation to application of a vacuum to thegripped element; a vacuum cup having a mouth capable of sealing to thegripped element to provide a vacuum chamber that enables the applicationof the vacuum to the gripped element; a vacuum ejector pin extendinginto the vacuum chamber and including a plurality of ports substantiallyat a tip thereof proximate to the gripped element, wherein the vacuum isapplied by the plurality of ports upon the sealing of the mouth to thegripped element; and an ejector pin actuator that is capable of movingthe vacuum ejector pin toward the gripped element through the vacuumchamber in the y-axis until the sealing of the mouth is broken and thegripped element is ejected from the vacuum cup.

In certain embodiments, the vacuum cup may be substantially pliable. Theplurality of ports may consist of two or four ports, by way ofnon-limiting example. The ejector pin actuator may be, for example, aspring.

The vacuum chamber may be for inclusion on an end effector. The vacuumchamber may include a vacuum cup having a mouth capable of sealing to agripped element to apply vacuum to the gripped element; a vacuum ejectorpin extending through the vacuum cup and including a plurality of portssubstantially at a tip thereof proximate to the gripped element, whereinthe vacuum is applied by the plurality of ports upon the sealing of themouth to the gripped element; and an ejector pin actuator that iscapable of moving the vacuum ejector pin toward the gripped element inthe y-axis until the mouth seal is broken and the gripped element isejected from the vacuum cup.

Thus, the embodiments provide at least a vacuum ejector for use with endeffectors that provides improved disassociation between the vacuum andthe element being processed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary compositions, systems, and methods shall be describedhereinafter with reference to the attached drawings, which are given asnon-limiting examples only, in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary end effector;

FIG. 2 illustrates the vacuum ejector pin section of an exemplary endeffector;

FIG. 3 illustrates a shell element in a “ready position” for associationwith a vacuum provided by a vacuum;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary end effector with the vacuum engaged;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary position of the vacuum cup and ejectorpin as vacuum is applied to a shell element; and

FIG. 6 provides an illustration of a cross-section of the ejector pin,vacuum cup, and shell element upon downward actuation in the Y axis ofthe ejector pin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified toillustrate aspects that are relevant for a clear understanding of theherein described apparatuses, systems, and methods, while eliminating,for the purpose of clarity, other aspects that may be found in typicalsimilar devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill may thusrecognize that other elements and/or operations may be desirable and/ornecessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods describedherein. But because such elements and operations are known in the art,and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the presentdisclosure, for the sake of brevity a discussion of such elements andoperations may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosureis deemed to nevertheless include all such elements, variations, andmodifications to the described aspects that would be known to those ofordinary skill in the art.

Embodiments are provided throughout so that this disclosure issufficiently thorough and fully conveys the scope of the disclosedembodiments to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specificdetails are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices,and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Nevertheless, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that certain specific disclosed details need not be employed,and that embodiments may be embodied in different forms. As such, thedisclosed embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. As referenced above, in some embodiments, well-knownprocesses, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies maynot be described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The steps, processes, and operations described herein are notto be construed as necessarily requiring their respective performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as a preferred or required order of performance. It is alsoto be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed,in place of or in conjunction with the disclosed aspects.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “upon”,“connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, upon, connected or coupled to the other element or layer,or intervening elements or layers may be present, unless clearlyindicated otherwise. In contrast, when an element or layer is referredto as being “directly on,” “directly upon”, “directly connected to” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be nointervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion(e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directlyadjacent,” etc.). Further, as used herein the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Yet further, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be usedherein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/orsections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sectionsshould not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used todistinguish one element, component, region, layer or section fromanother element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, terms suchas “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do notimply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of the embodiments.

Certain embodiments of the present invention are and/or include an endeffector with a vacuum ejector. In certain embodiments an end effectormay be, for example, a SGE (specialty grip effector)-type end effectorwith one or more vacuum draws. Such an end effector may accommodateelements and devices having specialized sizes and/or shaped that are tobe subjected to semiconductor processes in which those elements ordevices are to be moved between processing stations under vacuum. Infact, in certain of these embodiments, the shape of such devices maynecessitate that those devices be placed under vacuum in order to bemoved about while avoiding contamination, such as may be provided fromatop the element by the one or more vacuum draws. To avoidinefficiencies in moving these elements between processes, such asineffective disassociation of the elements with the vacuum draw(s), itis advantageous to provide a mechanism whereby a specialized element maybe efficiently “ejected” from the vacuum draw by which it is held to theend effector. According to certain embodiments of the present inventionsuch a vacuum ejection function may be provided by a vacuum ejectorquill.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an end effector 10. Endeffector 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be a SGE end effector, and may beprovided with shell tooling 12, as will be understood to the skilledartisan. However, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the typeof end effector illustrated in FIG. 1, nor are they limited to thespecialty element or device, or the tooling associated therewith,illustrated in the example of FIG. 1.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, end effector 10 includes an endeffector body 14 integral with a robotics interface 16. Roboticsinterfaced to the robotics interface 14 may, for example, providemovement of the end effector 10, such as between semiconductorprocessing stations. A gripped element 20, such as the curved shellelement shown in FIG. 1, may be subjected to vacuum as the grippedelement 20 is moved between processing stations. Those skilled in theart will appreciate, in light of the discussion herein, that many typesof specialized elements 20 held by many types of end effectors 10 maybenefit from the use of the vacuum ejector of the disclosed embodiments.

Further illustrated in FIG. 1, by way of example only, are specializedend effector elements 24 provided for the illustratively shown curvedshell element 20. In the illustrated case of FIG. 1, end effector 10include clamps 30, such as synchronous clamps, which may be suitable tocenter the shell element 20 in one or more axes. A synchronous swing 32may be provided in association with the end effector body in order tolink various aspects, such as the synchronous clamps 30 and/or otherdual control clamps, such as by linking using dual zero lash ballbushings 40, by way of non-limiting example. Also illustratively shownin FIG. 1 is a shell nest 42 upon which the curved shell 20 may beassociated at various points during transfer between and during thesemi-conductor processes.

FIG. 2 illustrates a vacuum ejector pin section 102 of an exemplary endeffector 10, in a non-limiting example, such as the end effector shownin FIG. 1. As illustrated, one or more pneumatic cylinders 104 and/ormoving yokes 106 may operate to move portions of end effector 10 in atleast Z axis. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, a vacuum cup 110is provided in association with the end effector 10, such that a vacuummay be applied by the vacuum cup 110 to an element 20 subjected togripping by the end effector 10. Further, application of the vacuum bythe vacuum cup 110 may be in conjunction with application of one or moreY and/or X axis clamps 114, such as Mylar clamp shell springs 114 asillustratively shown in FIG. 2.

An exemplary ejector pin 130, or quill, is illustrated in FIG. 2, andmay be at least partially retained in association with a cup fitting132. A distal portion of the ejector pin 130 may protrude into, and insome stages of use, protrude through, an internal open-ended cavityformed by and/or at a base of the vacuum cup 110. Vacuum pressure maytypically be applied to the retained element 20 at a plane associatedwith an outermost edge or mouth of the cavity defined at the base of thevacuum cup 110. In certain embodiments of the present invention thevacuum cup, and/or at least the base thereof, may be pliable in nature,such as to allow for variations in the surface of gripped element 20.For example, vacuum cup 110 may be formed of rubber or plastic, or ofany similar material, and/or may be formed in a longitudinally (e.g.,Z-axis) compressible manner, such as an “accordion” shape, by way ofnon-limiting example.

In certain embodiments of the present invention ejector pin 130 mayinclude an internal opening, path, or be hollow. Ejector pin 130 may beformed of any material suitable to carry out the functionality describedherein, such as providing non-damaging pressure to gripped element 20.For example, ejector pin 130 may be formed of plastic, stainless steel,or the like, by way of non-limiting example. Ejector pin 130 may haveone or more vacuum ports, in the illustrated case vacuum ports 146proximate to an end portion 130 a thereof. In the illustratedembodiment, four vacuum ejector pin ports 146 are shown by way ofnon-limiting example only. That is, one of skill in the pertinent artswill appreciate that other numbers of ejector pin ports 146 may beprovided.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention in which ashell element 20 is in a “ready position” for association with thevacuum provided by the vacuum cup 110. In the illustration, Mylar clampsprings 114 center the complex shell geometry of the exemplary element20 in the Y axis. Vacuum cup 110 is shown in a non-vacuum position,e.g., is shown as suspended above the shell geometry and thus beforevacuum has been applied to the shell element 20. Also evident in FIG. 3is the ejector pin 130 in physical association with a portion of theshell geometry. Various gripping and release elements for a grippedelement 20 may be used, such as the quick release spring clamps 320illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates an end effector 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, such as the one illustratively shown in FIG. 3, butwith the vacuum engaged. As illustrated, clamp springs 114 may bephysically associated with the shell element 20 upon vacuum application,such as in order to center the shell element with respect to applicationof the vacuum. Moreover, the plane at the mouth provided by the base ofthe vacuum cup 110 is shown as positionally associated with the shellgeometry, so as to optimally allow for application of vacuum thereto.

FIG. 5 illustrates a vacuum ejector system according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. There is shown an exemplary position of thevacuum cup 110 and ejector pin 130 as vacuum is applied to the shellelement 20. In the illustrated case, it should be noted that the topmostportion 130 b of the ejector pin 130 may be associated with a spring502, whereby actuation of the spring 502, or actuation of a like elementas will be understood to the skilled artisan, may drive the ejector pin130 downward in the Z axis to thereby affect an efficientdisassociation, by the distal tip of the ejector pin 130, of the shellelement 20 from the plane provided by the mouth of the vacuum cup 110.

In certain embodiments of the invention, as the vacuum cup 110 issubstantially physically associated with the shell element 20, thevacuum cup 110 may provide a seal that, when vacuum is drawn through theport or ports 146 at the tip of the vacuum ejector 130, provides avacuum pursuant to which the shell element 20 is gripped and may bemoved about. And, on the contrary, when the shell element 20 is pushedout of association with the vacuum cup 110 by the ejector 130, thevacuum seal is broken and the element 20 is released. Such a release maybe swift and efficient, and even substantially immediate.

FIG. 6 provides an illustration of a cross-section of an embodiment ofthe ejector pin 130, vacuum cup 110, and shell element 20 upon downwardactuation in the Z axis of the ejector pin 130. As shown, the breakingof the seal provided by the vacuum cup 110 with the shell element 20 bythe downward movement of the ejector pin 130 exposes the vacuum ports146 provided at the tip of the vacuum pin 130 outside of the vacuumchamber 602. Thereby, the vacuum seal (or substantial seal) providedwithin and by the vacuum cup 110 may be broken, and the shell element 20may be effectively ejected from the end effector 10, by the breaking ofthe vacuum seal resultant from the downward movement of the pin 130.

In accordance with the foregoing, the embodiments may provide a hollow,spring-loaded, ejector pin that may be mounted centrally within a vacuumcup such that the ejector pin may be used to eject elements subjected tovacuum, such as in semi-conductor processing embodiments. Moreparticularly, the vacuum provided may pass through ports at the tip ofthe ejector pin in order to complete a vacuum circuit in associationwith a vacuum chamber provided by a surrounding vacuum cup.

The descriptions of the disclosure are provided to enable any personskilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe examples and designs described herein, but rather is to be accordedthe widest scope consistent with the principles and novel featuresdisclosed herein. For example, while embodiments of the presentinvention have been described herein as they may particularly relate tosemiconductor processing and semiconductor processing equipment androbotics, embodiments of the present invention may have otherapplications in other fields of endeavor where the use of end effectorsmay be useful.

1. An end effector, comprising: at least two clamp arms for placing a gripped element in relation to application of a vacuum to the gripped element; an accordion vacuum cup having a mouth capable of sealing to the gripped element to provide a vacuum chamber that enables the application of the vacuum to the gripped element; a vacuum ejector pin extending substantially through a center axis of the mouth into the vacuum chamber and including a plurality of ports substantially at a tip thereof proximate to the gripped element, wherein the vacuum is applied by the plurality of ports of the vacuum ejector pin upon the sealing of the mouth to the gripped element; and a plurality of centering clamp springs physically associated with and exerting movement influence on the accordion vacuum cup, outside of and having a central axis parallel to the vacuum ejector pin, and being capable of centering the gripped element to the mouth; an ejector pin actuator that is capable of moving the vacuum ejector pin toward the gripped element through the vacuum chamber until the sealing of the mouth is broken, wherein the vacuum is broken by movement of the ejector pin and the gripped element is ejected from the vacuum cup.
 2. The end effector of claim 1, further comprising a robotic interface for interfacing to a moving robotic.
 3. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the placing comprises centering.
 4. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cup is substantially pliable.
 5. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the gripped element comprises a curved shell element.
 6. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ports consists of two ports.
 7. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ports consists of four ports.
 8. The end effector of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum capable of providing suction through the plurality of ports.
 9. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the ejector pin actuator comprises a spring.
 10. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the at least two clamp arms are synchronous.
 11. The end effector of claim 1, further comprising a nest formed to the gripped element upon which the gripped element may rest.
 12. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the at least two clamp arms comprise Mylar clamp shell springs.
 13. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the vacuum ejector pin is hollow.
 14. A vacuum chamber for inclusion on an end effector, comprising: an accordion vacuum cup having a mouth capable of sealing to a gripped element to apply vacuum to the gripped element; a vacuum ejector pin extending through the vacuum cup and including a plurality of ports substantially at a tip thereof proximate to the gripped element, wherein the vacuum is applied by the plurality of ports upon the sealing of the mouth to the gripped element; and an ejector pin actuator that is capable of moving the vacuum ejector pin toward the gripped element in the z-axis until the vacuum is broken and the gripped element is thereby ejected from the vacuum cup.
 15. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, wherein the vacuum cup is substantially pliable.
 16. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, wherein the gripped element comprises a curved shell element.
 17. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, wherein the plurality of ports consists of four ports.
 18. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, further comprising a vacuum capable of providing suction through the plurality of ports.
 19. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, wherein the ejector pin actuator comprises a spring.
 20. The vacuum chamber of claim 14, wherein the vacuum ejector pin is hollow. 